Acceleration across a floor with friction

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the acceleration of a box being pushed across a floor with friction. The box has a mass of 12 kg, and the force applied is 60 N, with a kinetic coefficient of friction of 0.5.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the calculation of the frictional force and the net force acting on the box. There is uncertainty about the correct net force value to use in the equation F=ma.

Discussion Status

Some participants confirm the original poster's approach while others provide corrections regarding the net force calculation. There is an ongoing exploration of the implications of these values on the acceleration calculation.

Contextual Notes

Participants emphasize the importance of drawing a free body diagram to clarify the forces involved, indicating a focus on visualizing the problem setup.

djokoman95
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Homework Statement



A man pushes a box full of toys that has a mass of 12kg across a floor with a force of 60 N. The box of toys and the floor have a kinetic coefficient of friction of 0.5.
What is the acceleration of the box?

Homework Equations


F=ma


The Attempt at a Solution



Here's what I have so far. f[itex]\mu[/itex]k=12*9.8*0.5=58.8. So, since the man is pushing with 60 N of force, and the friction force is pushing back with 58.8 N, he is pushing the box with a net force of .2 N. I think, but I"m not sure, that I could just use this 0.2 as the F in F=ma, then solve for a, using 12 as m, and 0.2 as F. I'm not quite sure if this is correct though.
 
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Yes,it is correct.
 
It's not 0.2 N, it's 1.2 N :)
 
1.2 is the net force
and according to Newton's laws its equal to ma ...
 
Always draw a free body diagram if your not sure if your correct or not. If you do so you would see that your correct.
 

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